Characteristics of dominant tree species stem sap flow and their relationships with environmental factors in a mixed conifer-broadleaf forest in Dinghushan, Guangdong Province of South China

By the method of Granier' s thermal dissipation probe, the stem sap flow density of four dominant tree species (Pinus massoniana, Castanopsis chinensis, Schima superba, and Machilus kwangtungensis) in a mixed conifer-broadleaf forest in Dinghushan Reserve of South China was continuously measured in the dry season (November) and wet season (July) in 2010, and the environmental factors including air temperature, relative humidity, and photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) were measured synchronically, aimed to study the characteristics of the stem sap flow of the tree species in response to environmental factors. During the dry and wet seasons, the diurnal changes of the stem sap flow velocity of the tree species all presented a typical single-peak curve, with high values in the daytime and low values in the nighttime. The average and maximum sap flow velocities and the daily sap flow flux of broad-leaved trees (C. chinensis, S. superba, and M. kwangtungensis) were significantly higher than those of conifer